The University of Maryland Baltimore County, despite nationally recognized academic strides, has a rash of oversight problems ranging from abuse of employee credit cards to improper refunds for students who weren’t even paying for their courses, according to a new state audit. Over two and a half years ending last June, the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits found numerous “questionable purchases” through credit cards on which employees spent nearly $15 million just in fiscal 2011. One employee used a card to obtain $4,400 in gift cards — prohibited by state rules — prompting a subsequent investigation in which the college referred two employees to the state Attorney General’s Office for alleged misuse of the taxpayer-funded cards.

The unidentified employees are no longer with the college but have not been charged for the purchases.